Stay Cyber Safe
By Katie Luckett, Director of Marketing, Communications and Education
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time to promote the awareness of staying safe online. By the end of 2025, the number of connected devices for electronics, house controls and utilities will reach nearly five billion. While this connected world will usher in increased convenience and automation across home ecosystems, it will also greatly expand the attack surface for cybersecurity hackers and criminals.
Safety is our top priority at Choptank Electric Cooperative, including the safety of our members’ data. We work diligently to maintain our technology and are up to date on security measures to keep all information protected.
“Part of offering outstanding electric service is keeping that service secure and reliable,” says Deni Dorsey, Manager of IT-OT Infrastructure. “Reliability not only means repairing powerlines and upgrading our equipment but also using technology and best practices to keep our system secure from cybersecurity issues.”
Cybercriminals often wear disguises to trick unsuspecting victims. They use phishing emails and social engineering to pose as someone trustworthy, like a colleague or a friend. But fear not – Choptank Fiber’s free ProtectIQ service can keep you and your home’s users safe.
ProtectIQ is a network-level security application that proactively keeps malicious websites, viruses and intrusions away from Choptank Fiber customers’ homes 24-7 by leveraging a large cloud database of known virus and ransomware threats. Choptank Fiber customers can lock down all entry points to the home network and stay safe from thousands of attacks and breaches of privacy.
All Choptank Fiber installed in-home devices come equipped with ProtectIQ. The program can be managed through the free CommandIQ mobile app available to all Choptank Fiber customers. Users will be notified in the app when threats are blocked and can act in real time. To learn more about ProtectIQ and how Choptank Fiber keeps our customers safe, visit choptankfiber.com/CommandIQ.